Kevin Love not planning to miss any more games, as Cavaliers ready for home stretch

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Kevin Love spent the All-Star break relaxing in Turks and Caicos and soaking up the Caribbean sun. His red arms are proof.

That getaway has him ready for the homestretch, a 24-game sprint to the end of one of the most frustrating seasons of his NBA career.

“I think you’ll see me more on a steady basis and not miss games after the break, I’m hoping,” Love said following Wednesday’s practice. “So just continue to improve the minutes and make sure that I’m feeling good and go from there.”

Love made his official return on Feb. 8, following foot surgery that cost him 50 games. That night, he played six-plus minutes against the Washington Wizards and spent the remainder of the game working on his cardio in the locker room.

After being held out of the next game, the second of a back-to-back against Indiana, Love played 16 productive minutes versus the Knicks on Feb. 11. He was then rested for the final game prior to the All-Star break -- part of his recovery process.

Head coach Larry Drew said Love will remain on a minutes restriction until the doctors provide the go-ahead to make a change.

“I think he has done a magnificent job in the way he has conducted himself and he has stayed the course with his rehab through his injury,” Drew said. “I know how bad he wants to be out there, but things happen and you have to push through them, which he has done. Now he’s able to play. He’s gradually getting his legs under him and gradually getting to the point where he can play extended minutes. I’m certain that once he is able to get out there and really play extended minutes he’s going to make the most of it.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Love played 5 on 5 without issue, trying to get his legs back. He said his conditioning level remains a work in progress, but feels healthy, which is most important. With Love’s recent return leading to a few better team-wide performances and Tristan Thompson’s comeback on the horizon, there’s plenty for this group to be excited about.

“Hopefully we’ll have everybody back,” Love said about the final two months. “You just have to continue to find motivation and know that there’s a bigger picture involved and you know, for me, it is tough. It’s the longest I’ve missed consecutively in my whole career but I just gotta find opportunity, find ways to get better and in a lot of ways my body feels really fresh. I guess that’s the good thing in this and just continue to get better in my game.”

Drew said there isn’t a benchmark the team is trying to reach in the final 24 games. Love said he hadn’t thought about that either. Would .500 ball be doable? Or is that asking too much, considering that would mean equalling the season’s win total to this point?

The Cavs return from the break holding the league’s third-worst record. They are 3-7 over the last 10.

Despite numerous obstacles during a tumultuous season, one in which Cleveland hasn’t once had the team it envisioned at the start of season, there’s internal belief that the stretch run can -- and perhaps will -- play out much better than the early portion of the year.

“I think it’s because we have guys that fight,” Love said. “We have guys who play really, really hard, some veterans with five or six years in the league that have put in their time and have been around playoff basketball. Any team when you have bad luck like that you’re going to lose a lot of basketball games. The record indicates that obviously we are at the bottom but we feel like we have a team that can really compete with anybody on any given night. That’s the beauty of this game."